The Buffalo Zone

Another Friend Gone Too Soon: Tony Heatherly (Toy Caldwell Band/Marshall Tucker Band)

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:00:00 CDT

On May 15, 2013, the world lost a great Southern rocker and an even greater human being, Tony Heatherly. Tony died at home sitting up in a chair, where he was preparing to have a bowl of breakfast cereal. By all appearances, he just slipped peacefully away. He was 63.

Tony enjoyed a long and varied career as a musician, playing bass with Mickey Fowler & The Variations before joining the Toy Caldwell Band, where he recorded with Toy on Caldwell’s only commercially available album. Tony was asked by Toy to sing the lead vocal on “Texas On My Mind.” He played with Toy until Toy’s death. A few years later, he was invited to join The Marshall Tucker Band, where he performe hundreds of shows and recorded with the band until his health forced him off of the road.

Visitation with family and friends of Tony Heatherly will take place today, Friday, May 17th at Robinson Funeral Home, 1425 Powdersville Rd, Easley, SC 29642. The funeral will take place Saturday at 1 PM at the same location.

- Michael Buffalo Smith

Read Tony's Obituary

Ball Player, Actor, Southern Rocker Brad Lesley Dead at 54

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:31:00 CDT

I have lost yet another good friend. Brad "The Animal" Lesley - who played Major League Baseball before appearing in a slew of '90s sports movies -- died on April 27, 2013 at the age of 54. Brad lived in California, but had spent lots of time in Japan, where he enjoyed a huge fan following.

Of course, beneath that massive frame was a Southern heart. I have necver met a bigger fan of The Marshall Tucker Band in my life, and he would tell me stories of going to ball games, concerts and fishing with the late Toy Caldwell. In recent years, Doug Gray had invited him to sing with the band many times, with Lesley often taking on Jimmy Hall's vocal on "King of the Delta Blues," a duet with Chris Hicks.

I always looked forward to seeing Brad in Tampa at the annual Charlie Daniels Celebrity Golf & Country Concert for The Angelus each year, whenever he could make it. One great memory I have of Brad is of the day he came back to Spartanburg to visit and we met for lunch at the World Famous Beacon Drive-In. I had just had t-shirts printed for the magazine I owned at the time, GRITZ, and Brad received the first one. We had a great visit.

Lesley's ex-wife, Chiho Svimonoff, sent us an e-mail shocker today. I had no idea he was even sick. Apparently he had been suffering from kidney problems and had been living in a nursing home for the past seven months, where he was receiving dialysis.

Brad had been rushed to a hospital in Marina Del Rey on Saturday night and ultimately died from kidney failure.

Brad Lesley played for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers from 1982 to 1985 before switching to acting. In the '90s, he appeared in "Mr. Baseball," "Space Jam" ... and, in perhaps his best known role, he played that angry pitcher with the goatee in "Little Big League." Truly a man of many talents.

Rest in peace, my brother. We'll see you in the Light. - Buffalo

"Little Big League"

Animal singing with Marshall Tucker.

Free Southern Rock Concerts Wednesday and Thursday!

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:04:00 CDT

The Legend Has Passed: George Jones

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:00:00 CDT

Talk about a legend. Country Music Hall of Famer, Grand Ole Opry member, and Kennedy Center Honoree George Glenn Jones died Friday, April 26, 2013 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 81. He had gone into the hospital April 18 with fever and irregular blood pressure. Oddly enough, his passing comes one day after a huge internet hoax that said he had died. We will pay tribute to “Possum” in the next issue of KUDZOO, coming mid to late May.

-Buffalo